Critters Sourcebook

GUARD
Type: P • Action: Complex • Range: LOS • Duration: Sustained
The Guard power allows the being to prevent any accident—both
natural and those caused by the Accident power—
within the terrain it controls.
HARDENED ARMOR
Type: P • Action: Auto • Range: Self • Duration: Always
Creatures with the Hardened Armor power possess an
exoskeleton or outer shell of extraordinary strength. If the
unmodified Power of an attack against the creature does not
exceed the rating of the being’s Hardened Armor, the attack
does no damage.
Against APDS or AVM ammunition, Hardened Armor only
counts as half its rating.
HYPNOTIC SONG
Type: M • Action: Complex • Range: LOS • Duration: Sustained
Creatures with the Hypnotic Song power can influence
others who hear it. Treat the song as an attack with a Damage
Code of (Essence)M, resisted by the victim’s Willpower. In this
case, the Damage Code simply measures the song’s effect.
Cyberears with dampening reduce the song’s Damage Code to
(Essence)L. Earplugs may do the same, at the gamemaster’s
discretion. If the attack inflicts “Deadly” damage, the target
stands paralyzed, unable to take any action for as long as the
song continues.
An attack against a victim paralyzed by Hypnotic Song
allows the character to make an Opposed Test using Willpower
against the creature’s Essence. If the character achieves more
successes, the effect of Hypnotic Song is broken. If the song
stops, the hypnotic effect ceases. Victims suffer +2 to all target
numbers on the turn after the effect of the power ends as they
fight to clear their minds.
IMMUNITY
Type: P • Action: Auto • Range: Self • Duration: Always
The Immunity power gives the critter the equivalent of an
Armor Rating equal to twice its Essence for resisting damage
from the thing against which it has immunity. In addition, if the
Power of the damage does not exceed twice the creature’s
Essence, it automatically has no effect. This power works
against both magical and non-magical effects.
Note that beings with Immunity to Age do not age and
never suffer the effects of aging.
Immunity to Fire works against fire and any fire-based
attacks.
Immunity to Cold works against cold temperatures and
any cold-based attacks.
Immunity to Normal Weapons does not protect against
combat spells or weapon foci. Against weapons that inflict elemental
damage (such as fire, water cannon, elemental manipulation
spells and so on) the effect of the Immunity to Normal
Weapons power is halved (Armor Rating equal to Essence).
Treat APDS, AVM, and other armor-piercing ammunitions as
normal ammunition against creatures with the Immunity to
Normal Weapons power.
Creatures with the Immunity to Control power subtract
twice their Essence from the Force of any spell (or Essence of
any power) used in an attempt to control them.
INFECTION
Type: P • Action: Auto • Range: Touch • Duration: Permanent
The Infection power allows a being with the Essence Drain
power (see p. 10) to infect any suitable creature it drains to 0
Essence with the Essence Drain power. The victim sickens and
apparently dies. Shortly after “death,” the individual returns to
life as a being of the type that drained its Essence. Such “newborn”
Essence-draining creatures are dangerous. Though they
are barely conscious of their new state, instinct will drive them
to satisfy their hunger for Essence in any way they can.
Player characters affected by the Infection power automatically
become non-player characters after their “deaths” and are
controlled by the gamemaster.
INFLUENCE
Type: M • Action: Complex • Range: LOS • Duration: Instant
The Influence power allows a being to insinuate suggestions
into a target’s mind, predisposing that person to some
form of action, reaction, or emotion. Make an Opposed Test
between the being’s Charisma (or Essence, if it has no
Charisma) and the target’s Willpower. The number of net successes
determines how strongly the suggestion is taken.
INNATE SPELL
Type: P • Action: Complex • Range: LOS • Duration: Instant
The Innate Spell power gives a critter the ability to create
an effect roughly similar to a spell, usually an elemental manipulation
spell. The creature is not actually using Sorcery to cast
a spell, but is manipulating mana in a manner that roughly
approximates a spell being cast. Most creatures can only
mimic one spell effect (listed in parentheses after the power).
Spell descriptions appear in SR3, beginning on p. 191.
When a creature uses this power, treat the action as if the
critter were casting the spell using its Essence for both Sorcery
and Force. Most attacks made with this power inflict (Essence)M
damage, though the Damage Level may vary (see individual critter
descriptions).
The Innate Spell power functions in a fashion similar
enough to spellcasting that Awakened characters can use spell
defense to protect themselves and others against the effects of
this power. Note that spell defense does not work against any
other critter power (except for creatures with the Magical Skill
power (p. 12) using Sorcery for spellcasting).
Because this is an innate power, critters using it do not
normally suffer the effects of Drain. If a critter sustains an
attack using the Innate Spell power, however, it will suffer
Drain of (Essence ÷ 2)S according to the standard rules. The
effect of a sustained Innate Spell attack covers a number of
square meters equal to the critter’s Essence. Sustained innate
spells can be dispelled.
Critters
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